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Zynga's FarmVille Heads To The Land Of The Rising Sun
Dec 01, 6:00AM
It's already taken over the English-speaking world, and it's ready for more. Zynga's juggernaut FarmVille will soon be launching in Japan, marking the first time the game has been translated into another language. A localized, mobile version of the game, which will be called FarmVillage, is slated to launch in Japan in "early December". FarmVillage is going to be available on Mixi, which is the top Japanese social network. But it will only be available for mobile 'feature-phones' — there's no web-based version, at least for now, which could impact adoption. The release is the first from Zynga Japan, the social gaming company's joint venture with Softbank that was announced over the summer (in addition to a Softbank investment of $150 million). 
Come On, People, Let's Get Convertible Tablets Right This Time
Dec 01, 4:20AM
Back in about 2002 or so when Toshiba and a few others tried to sell tablets to businesses and consumers. This was around when Bill Gates was flogging Windows Tablet PC Edition and we all realized that tablets weren't quite the trick. Among those devices were the so-called convertibles - laptops that folded around to become thick tablets. When you wanted to tap on the screen you could and when you wanted to type you could do that, too. They were awful. Now, suddenly, Dell comes out with the Duo and Apple is patenting something that looks like a MacBook Air with a clever folding screen. Sadly, the Duo is a dud and the Apple patents probably won't make it to market, but here's what I'd like to see in the convertible department.
Report Shows iPad Gaining On Kindle In E-Reader Category
Dec 01, 3:54AM
I'm not really sure this research is as revealing as it seems to be. Take a look at the diagram. The take-away is that since the introduction of the iPad, the Kindle's share of the e-reader market has dropped from 68% to 40%. This suggests that sales of the Kindle are dropping, or that Amazon is losing ground to Apple. But the simple nature of the study suggests a different conclusion.
What TechCrunch Staffers Want Yammer to Spend that $25 Million on (TCTV)
Dec 01, 2:57AM
It's no secret that we like Yammer here at TechCrunch. We gave the company the top TechCrunch50 honors a few years back, we use the product pretty obsessively for in-house communication, and Mike even uses it as a reporting tool. But we could like it a lot better... In part two of our interview with David Sacks we ask him what he's going to spend that new $25 million in venture capital on, and we oh-so-humbly suggest a few things we'd like for him to spend it on. (Spoiler alert: Jason Kincaid is going to be the happiest.) I forgot to make my request, which is for a "dislike" button. I asked Sacks over email and he said, "You want to tell people you dislike them? What kind of operation is Arrington running over there?" As he said in the first part of our interview, the Yammer feed is like looking in a corporate mirror. 
Apple Buys HP's Old Campus, HP Buys The Twitter Ads For #Apple
Dec 01, 2:47AM
Last week, MercuryNews.com revealed that Apple made a massive land purchase near their current headquarters in Cupertino, CA. They actually bought the old HP campus, which the electronics giant announced they were moving out of to consolidate their offices in nearby Palo Alto. So perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising that HP bought something of Apple's today: their hashtag on Twitter. Okay, Apple doesn't technically have any rights to a hashtag containing their name on Twitter. In fact, maybe HP is targeting people tweeting about the fruit. Yeah, right.
Google (Temporarily) Blocks AppNexus From Its Ad Exchange
Dec 01, 2:17AM
There was a big shakeup in the online advertising world last weekend: Google cut off AppNexus from its ad exchange, forcing the startup to direct its clients to purchase ad inventory directly from Google. The move comes only a few weeks after AppNexus raised a huge $50 million round, which included a big chunk from Microsoft. And the timing couldn't be worse for AppNexus — because of the huge surge in shopping, last week was among the busiest, if not the busiest, time of the year for these platforms. AppNexus offers, among other things, a real-time platform for purchasing ad inventory from ad exchanges — the largest of which is Google's. One industry expert I spoke with guessed that Google's exchange could account for 50% or more of AppNexus inventory, so this is a very big deal for the company and its clients.
Reeder For Mac Beta Goes Live. Reeder For iPhone Gains Facebook Support
Dec 01, 1:57AM
A couple weeks ago, we did a preview of Reeder for Mac, a new RSS desktop client. In my mind, Reeder for iPhone/iPad is easily the best RSS reading app out there, and Reeder for Mac continues that tradition. But now you can find out for yourself. Developer Silvio Rizzi has released the first public beta today right here. Rizzi is careful to note that this is just "Draft 1" of the software, but I've been using the alpha builds for weeks, and it's pretty polished. Some key features, such as feed management, are missing. But because Reeder is built on top of Google Reader, you can manage it all from there. Rizzi notes that both feed management and more importantly, search, are coming soon.
David Sacks: Yammer Wasn't a Pivot and I Still Love Geni (TCTV)
Dec 01, 1:37AM
Yammer founder and CEO David Sacks came all the way from his office upstairs from us to talk about his new $25 million round of funding. We discuss a lot of interesting things in this clip including why Sacks says Yammer wasn't everyone's new favorite word, a pivot; why he still loves Geni, the company Yammer spun out of that we don't hear nearly as much about; why more social-media-for-the-enterprise companies haven't taken off; and his defense of the freemium business model. Make sure you stay to the end, when I ask Sacks about a rumor floating around Silicon Valley that he tried to put a deal together with Yammer and Twitter back before the company even launched. Bonus: Sacks- as tactfully as possible- says what TechCrunch's Yammer usage tells us about our company culture.
Groupon Board Will Meet Tomorrow To Decide On Google Deal
Dec 01, 1:11AM
Amidst everyone in the world writing about the $5.3 billion dollar Google Groupon offer at the moment, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the deal has not yet been sealed and that the Groupon's board of directors is holding a conference call tomorrow to decide on whether or not they will accept Google's offer. 
Countries And Companies Talk Climate Change At COP 16 In Cancun
Dec 01, 12:22AM
The United Nations Climate Change Conference kicked off yesterday in Cancun, Mexico. Delegates from 192 nations are attending through December 10, hoping to determine a collective, international approach to slowing and preparing countries for an increase in global temperatures. Conference goals— laid out at an opening address by Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)— include the establishment of: commitments from countries to stop deforestation, a fund worth approximately $100 billion-a-year by 2013 to help poor people cope with climate change, and mechanisms that facilitate technology transfer between nations. 
After A Four Year Run, Firefox Is No Longer The Top Browser On TechCrunch — Chrome Is
Nov 30, 11:44PM
It has finally happened. It took a little longer than anticipated, but Chrome has now passed Firefox as the browser most often used to visit TechCrunch. For the month of November, Chrome is number one for the first time, edging out Firefox 27.80 percent to 27.67 percent. Back in early September, on Chrome's second birthday, we noted that Google's browser had been making huge gains over the past couple of years and was only about 3 percent away from passing longtime leader (again, in terms of browsing traffic to TechCrunch) Firefox. The quickly progressing Firefox 4 beta likely slowed Chrome's march to the top a bit, but it couldn't fully hold it back. Now the question is: can Chrome hang on?
WikiLeaks Founder Added To The Interpol Wanted List
Nov 30, 11:28PM
Two days after Internet whistleblower WikiLeaks released 251,287 U.S. diplomatic cables to major media organizations including the New York Times and Der Spiegel, international police organization Interpol has placed founder Julian Assange on its wanted list for "Sex Crimes," in a warrant issued by the Public Prosecution Office in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Interpol mediated charges here are in connection with rape allegations made by two different Swedish women back in August.
Bezos-Backed Heartland Robotics Raises Another $20 Million
Nov 30, 11:02PM
Heartland Robotics today announced that it raised $20 million in a series B venture round led by Highland Capital Partners. Other investors include Sigma Partners and existing investors Bezos Expeditions and Charles River Ventures. The Boston-based company previously raised $7 million in August, 2009. The founder of Heartland Robotics is Rodney Brooks, a former AI reseracher at MIT and one of the co-founders of iRobot. Instead of making robot vacuum cleaners, time around Brooks is developing a new class of manufacturing robots. I normally don't quote from a press release, but this Brooks quote sounds like something straight out of an Isaac Asimov novel:
The Future Is Here: DoubleTwist Brings Wireless Sync To Android For Music, Photos & Video
Nov 30, 10:10PM
Earlier today, Winamp released a new version of its Android application that allowed users to sync their music wirelessly with their Windows desktop (disclosure: Winamp and TechCrunch are both owned by AOL). It's a great feature, but in the race to become the 'iTunes of Android', another contender may already be about to lap Winamp. We've been tracking DoubleTwist and its close affiliation with Android for over a year now. The company offers a desktop media player that looks a lot like iTunes (which is no accident given the 'iTunes for Android' theme), and it's added support for the Android App Store, a music store through Amazon MP3's API, and a directory of Podcasts. Today it's launching what's probably its coolest feature yet: wireless sync. And it's not just for music — DoubleTwist will let you wirelessly sync your movies, music, and photos. 
TV Shack ICE Seizure Proves You Can Run But You Can't Hide
Nov 30, 10:09PM
Back in July we wrote about bootleg film site TVShack.net rapidly moving offshore to the Australian-located TVShack.cc address in order to escape ICE's shutdown of about nine sites. We took bets on when the feds would eventually shut down the new site, and lo and behold five months later the domain is seized in a takedown of about 80 or so other copyright infringing sites.
Why the Kindle Is Losing Me
Nov 30, 8:37PM
I really loved my Kindle when I first got it. I love writing books, and I'm for anything that helps people consume and purchase more of them-- I don't care if I make a fraction of the royalties off electronic sales. I was especially struck by how much I wished I'd had a Kindle in college. As a literature major I read about five books a week, not to mention all the textbook reading for other courses. There were so many great touches in the UI that elevated the experience from just putting a book on a screen. There's the Kindle store and its friction-free, one-click purchases from anywhere, say, a cafe the night before the exam when you still haven't bought the book. There's the freedom from lugging around a heavy backpack of books. And there are so many features that are designed specifically for collegiate reading like the ability to easily highlight, annotate, store those annotations in a specific file, and be able to easily search around within the book and find certain quotes or passages. I thought, this isn't a beautiful piece of hardware, but it is clearly designed by someone who knows high-volume readers. So how the hell is it possible that the Kindle doesn't have a feature as obvious as page numbers?
Google Gearing Up For A Chrome Web Store Launch (For Real This Time)
Nov 30, 8:35PM
Back in August, at a conference in Europe, Google showed a little preview of the Chrome Web Store and noted that a launch would probably take place in October. While there were some hints of it coming along in October (including some pricing details that were apparently turned on by accident), it never came. And since today is the last day of November, I think it's safe to say it's not coming this month either. But it now definitely appears that Google is ramping up for an early December launch of the store, perhaps alongside a Chrome 8 release or a Chrome 9 beta release. Earlier today, there was a flurry of activity in the Chromium Issues list. Specifically, there was a lot of activity surrounding the "ReleaseBlock" labeled items. And if you look them over, you'll notice that most of these 16 issues are related to the Web Store or Chrome Apps in some way. Google appears to be tying up loose ends to get this product out the door as soon as possible. 
Jolt Online brings Playboy To Facebook – Don't Tell Your Girlfriend
Nov 30, 8:34PM
Is there no escape from the Playboy franchise? Jolt Online, the Ireland-based social games publisher that was acquired by GameStop last December, has unveiled its latest Facebook game: Playboy Party. Described as featuring "pretty much all the things that you can imagine from a Facebook Playboy game" - I haven't a clue what that means - the accompanying press release assures us that you'll "find it entertaining". "This is our Christmas present to the Internet", proudly boasts Dylan Collins, Chairman of Jolt Online Gaming. "We almost went blind developing this game but we think that Playboy Party will keep you entertained anywhere you can access your Facebook account". Ooh err.
Standing Cloud Raises $3 Million, Fends Off Font Snobs With New Logo
Nov 30, 8:04PM
Back in July, I wrote about a nifty new startup called Standing Cloud that makes it easy to set up hosted installs of dozens of cloud-based applications — like WordPress, Drupal, or Trac — with a single click. Unfortunately, all our commenters seemed to care about was the company's logo, which consisted of Papyrus font set against a plain white background. Now Standing Cloud is back with a new, much more attractive logo that should appease all you font critics, and it has some big news in tow: it just closed a $3 million Series B funding round led by Avalon Ventures, with participation from existing investor Foundry Group. This brings Standing Cloud's total funding to $5 million since it was founded in 2009.
Video Walkthrough Of Virgin's New Project iPad Magazine
Nov 30, 7:30PM
Virgin's somewhat highly-anticipated Project iPad magazine went live early this morning. Its focus is on "design, entertainment, technology, entrepreneurs" and its format is kin to other attempts at next-generation magazines, though I'd say this one is more successful. Of course, it requires an iPad with 4.2 to enjoy, and while five or six million of those have been sold, not everybody will get a chance to check this thing out. So I put together a little video walkthrough for you guys.
TechCrunch Classics
Nov 30, 7:07PM
Techcrunch has published thousands of blog posts over its nearly 5 and a half years. Many are good one-day stories, some we'd like to forget, but others are gems. These classics are just as interesting today as when they were first written. Why Michael is a pirate. The age of process journalism. The best ways you can get blogged. Our first AOL official meeting. Plus, some of the major news we broke. But try discovering them. It's nearly impossible. That's one of the downsides of a reverse chronology blog. There is a solution. Presenting TechCrunch Classics. A page that will keep an updated list of memorable and favorite posts.
Are Those Yahoo Layoffs Starting To Roll Out Today?
Nov 30, 6:16PM
After we reported on rumors that Yahoo plans to cut as much as 20 percent of its workforce a few weeks ago, Yahoo called that number "misleading." But layoffs do seem to be brewing, judging by the increasing number of tips we've been getting. On November 23, one tipster wrote that layoffs would be "officially happening after Thanksgiving but before Xmas 2010." Then yesterday, we started getting tips that the layoffs would begin today. Some product groups that seem to be targeted for cuts include Flickr and Yahoo Groups. 
Enterprise Social Networking Platform Yammer Grabs $25 Million In New Funding
Nov 30, 4:56PM
Enterprise social networking platform Yammer, has just raised $25 million in new funding led by U.S. Venture Partners with Emergence Capital, Charles River Ventures and Founders Fund also participating. This brings the startup's total funding to $40 million. Additionally, U.S. Venture Partners' Principal Mamoon Hamid will be joining Yammer's board. Yammer, which launched as the "Twitter for businesses" at TechCrunch 50 in 2008, recently expanded to become a more comprehensive platform for social networking within the enterprise. 
Facebook Sued For Having Privacy Controls In Place. Yes, Seriously.
Nov 30, 4:49PM
Last week Facebook was hit with yet another patent lawsuit, this time by Walker Digital, an "invention company" founded by Jay S. Walker, co-inventor of Priceline.com. And boy does this one come straight out of left field.
ProFounder Launches To Help Small Businesses Crowdsource Fundraising
Nov 30, 4:47PM
Raising funds for a small business can be a daunting task for any fledgeling entrepreneur. Whether it be from friends and family or from the general public, finding investors, setting terms of the funding, assigning equity and filing compliance documents is a challenge. Enter ProFounder, a stealth startup that launches today to ensure that all entrepreneurs and small businesses have access to an easy and simple fundraising platform. ProFounder, which has been in private beta for the past year, offers entrepreneurs two ways to raise money on the site: through a private fundraising round, and/or a public fundraising round. The private fundraising rounds allow entrepreneurs to share a percentage of their revenues with investors (their friends, family, and community) over time. Essentially, this type of fundraising round is an offering of securities, and ProFounder helps facilitate compliance with state and federal laws related to this offering.
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